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I got a new camera! Time to put it through its paces…

After quite a lot of time shooting with Canon’s 6D, I decided it was time for a change. The 6D has all the features I need as a studio camera… and nothing more. Not content with merely producing images, I wanted to see if there was a more fully-featured camera out there. Unfortunately, my camera budget isn’t what it used to be so I had to settle for a model in a lower price bracket. However this market segment is very competitive, and there were plenty of choices within budget.

Ta-da! Here’s what I ended up getting:

This is a model from Poplar Grove, which must be pretty new in the digital camera business. Although this one has only been around for a short time, I’ve seen hundreds of reviews around the internet already and… well, they’re not good.

BUT the store had this one on hand and it fit my budget, so I decided to pick it up. I had a choice of sizes and colors, and went with this compact red model because it looks sick.

The main criticism most user reviews had was the image quality. However at this price point, you could literally buy dozens of these cameras for less than $10. I wanted to look beyond the image quality… what is this camera like to live with??

I have to admit, the ergonomics are baffling. It takes some getting used to, and the controls are minimalistic. However the understated style and compact design are both positives. This is a very light camera too.

(Sorry for the potato quality of these shots – I had to use my phone.)

As expected from this price point, you’ll be giving up on features like interchangeable lenses or built in wi-fi. However it does have good build quality. The bag this came in was prominently marked “organic” which I’m guessing refers to the sensor technology. Even the major camera manufacturers haven’t started producing organic sensors yet!

I took this out for an afternoon to see what it could do. I wasn’t expecting much, but the results were impressive. You can see them in the gallery below.